Fiat’s new super-cute Topolino EV is coming to the UK next year

Fiat has unveiled a new urban-friendly electric vehicle that will be sold in Britain from next year – and no doubt claim the title of cutest new car to hit the road in 2024.

Called Topolino, the dinky EV is a two-door ‘quadricycle’. Two versions will be sold in the UK next year – a standard Topolino and an ‘open’ Topolino Dolce Vita with a sunroof… and no doors.

The adorable little machine features retro looks including oval headlamps, dish-style wheel trims and even a suitcase rack at the rear, harking back to the iconic Cinquecento classic that was first launched in 1957.

Prices are yet to be confirmed but should start at a little over £8,000. But don’t expect to travel far – or fast – in the delightfully-petite electric Fiat…

The Topolino name – which translates to ‘baby mouse’ – is due to make a return to Fiat showrooms after almost 70 years away – and the Italian marque says its funky design will ‘encapsulate the coolness’ of the classic 500 to kick-start demand for greener urban mobility.

Topolino was the tiny model that preceded the original 500 and was in production in Italy for 19 years between 1936 and 1955.

While the brand has confirmed sales of the rebooted Topolino will begin in the UK from next year, you do get the sneaking suspicion this isn’t an EV entirely designed with British customers in mind. 

‘Topolino represents the four-wheeled dream of Riviera enthusiasts, being the perfect vehicle to experience the Italian summer on the narrow roads of the Italian beautiful coastline,’ the sales pitch reads.

It will arrive in left-hand-drive format only – though from our own experience driving the Citroen Ami on which it shares a platform, its small dimensions means the impractical placement of the steering wheel is far less problematic than it would be in a full-size vehicle. 

Fiat also hopes its arrival will ‘make young people fall in love with car again’. 

That’s despite the fact this isn’t actually a ‘car’ at all. 

Like the Ami, its tiny dimensions and puny power output mean it will qualify as a ‘light quadricycle’ when it goes on sale in 2024.

At just 2.53 metres in length, some people have longer bathtubs. At 1.4 metres wide, parking will be a doddle, and there’s plenty of headroom with a height of 1.53 metres.

It is fitted with a tiny 5.4kWh lithium-ion battery and single 6kW electric motor, performance can only be described as pedestrian.

The top speed is just 28mph and range between charges is claimed to be ‘up to 47 miles’ – though our real-world test of the Citroen last year found the battery charge depletes a little quicker than the official figures suggest.

Bosses at the Italian car company say the 47-mile range is ‘more than what you need for your seaside days or daily rush in the city centres’ – though the former really does depend on owners living within throwing distance of the coastline.

A full battery charge will take around four hours to complete using either a public charger or domestic plug socket at your home, with maximum charging speeds matching the Ami at just 2.3kW. 

The charging cable is hidden in a hollow section in the passenger door pillar and it comes with plug adaptors to fit both an EV charger and a three-pin household socket. 

The EV rides on 14-inch wheels with retro dish-style hubcaps. And stopping power is provided by small disc brakes at the front and drums at the back. 

Fiat says its ease of handling and low top speed will ‘reignite the desire to travel the roads stress-free’ – granted you only drive on roads with maximum speed limits up to 30mph. 

Its qualification as a quadricycle also means drivers as young as 16 with only an ‘AM’ moped licence could – in theory – legally drive one on UK roads.

In other countries such as France, the minimum age to get behind the wheel of this category of vehicle is even younger – this is because light quadricycles qualify as ‘sans permis’ vehicles across the Channel, meaning you don’t need a licence at all – just a basic road safety certificate that can be acquired by teens as young as 14.

In reality, the Topolino is being pitched to Gen Z customers as a more practical – and safer – alternative to a scooter or moped.

‘It can be driven despite unfavourable weather conditions, it is safer in its construction, and it allows you to share your journeys with friends or family,’ the marque says.

However, we must point out that its quadricycle classification means it doesn’t need any of the safety equipment manufacturers are mandated to bundle into new passenger cars. So it has zero airbags, no crash crumple zones, not a single electronic safety aid and not even anti-lock brakes – a legal requirement for passenger cars since 2004.

Inside, it’s relatively sparse with little in terms of creature comforts. 

The cabin is primarily easy-to-clean plastic, the seats have very limited cushioning and there is almost nothing in terms of sound-proofing.

That said, Fiat will offer a catalogue of options, which includes a USB-powered dashboard fan for limited cooling and audio speaker you can sync to your smartphone to play music on the go. 

Who needs doors anyway?

Fiat has confirmed there will be two variants sold to customers.

The first is a standard ‘closed’ Topolino, which has a fixed roof and a pair of doors with ‘wooden-effect stickers’ on the inside panels. 

Like the Citroen Ami, the driver’s door is rear-hinged (‘suicide’ style) and the passenger door is – more conventionally – front-hinged. This is so that identical parts can be used on either side of the car to keep production costs low. This also explains why the front and rear of the car are the same shape.

Also akin to the Ami, it features the pop-out windows inspired by Citroen’s 2CV. 

This version will be the cheapest, with prices likely to start from around the same as the Ami, which currently has an OTR price of £8,095. 

Meanwhile, the second option called Topolino Dolce Vita has no doors at all – though it does come with ‘door rope’, not that this provides any practical or safety benefits whatsoever.

The doorless design is a nod to the classic 500 Jolly, which was aimed at sun-worshiping beach types of the generation. 

The ‘open’ Topolino ditches the wood-effect cabin stickers in place for summery deck-chair-style striped cloth inserts, which can also be added to fabric roof that retracts all the way back when there’s sun to be enjoyed.

Both versions are equipped with vintage chrome effect wing mirrors and what Fiat calls a ‘Rear Carriage Dolce Vita Box’ – a plastic storage unit with a lid that provides additional space to transport personal items.

Among the options list is an additional ‘rack bag’ – a matching suitcase that slots into a metal carrier fixed below the rear windscreen for more luggage possibilities. 

And you will likely need it, as there is just 63 litres of ‘storage space’ inside the Topolino – and by storage space we mean anything inside that’s not occupied by seats and passengers.

Other options include a thermal water bottle to hold both hot and cold drinks and a pair of removable seat covers that can be rolled and stored on top of the dashboard or removed to double as beach towels for when you want to roll up to the seaside – though these will probably be more useful for those living close to the coast of Capri rather than Cromer. 

The price of the doorless Topolino Dolce Vita has not yet been confirmed though will likely mirror that of the Citroen Ami Buggy, which also has no doors and rings in at £10,495.

This post first appeared on Dailymail.co.uk